On
The Secret Migration
,
Mercury Rev
aims to express how love can be both incredibly intimate and universal-feeling at the same time. If any band could capture that dichotomy, it's them: on
Deserter's Songs
and
All Is Dream
, they found a way to blend the epic sound that they'd been known for since the days of
Boces
See You on the Other Side
with more personal songwriting. Unfortunately, they don't quite achieve this tricky balancing act on
.
Jonathan Donahue
's diary-quality songwriting and
Dave Fridmann
's glossy, intrusive production work against each other, resulting in a collection of songs that feel overdone yet incomplete. Over time,
Donahue
has gone from being an extremely abstract lyricist to a remarkably literal one; even though
Secret Migration
's first few songs dress up his sentiments in Renaissance Faire frippery and nature imagery (the meandering
"Black Forest (Lorelei)"
begins, "If I was a white horse/An' offered you a ride/Thru a black forest..."), throughout the album his thoughts about love's healing powers are straightforward, almost to the point of being generic. He tones down the fairy-tale wordplay as the album goes on, but the painfully earnest feeling remains.
and the rest of the band deserve credit for being so emotionally naked, in some ways, it's easier to connect to words like "Wanna ask but I just stare/Can I run my hands through your car wash hair" than
"Down Poured the Heavens"
' "I praise the god sublime/Who let this fallen angel/I into this world of mine." The problems with the album's lyrics are even more glaring because
is so bland musically. The band's sound is as epic and ethereal as ever, but it's also surprisingly easy to tune out; it often feels like an
AOR
-friendly version of
, and the electronic percussion and drum loops on several tracks feel dated and fussy. For a few moments, the album soars:
"Across Yer Ocean"
"Vermillion"
have enough musical movement that the cringe-worthy words aren't as noticeable.
"First-Time Mother's Joy (Flying)"
takes the opposite approach, with restrained sonics and lyrics that are so unabashedly sentimental that they actually are pretty affecting.
"In a Funny Way"
is hands-down
's best track, capturing the joy the rest of the album wants to convey with a mildly trippy, sitar- and brass-driven arrangement that nods to
's musical past without rehashing it. However, too much of the album consists of near-misses like
"Arise"
"Climbing Rose,"
both of which are pretty but don't have much musical or emotional impact. At once too conventional and too quirky,
might be
's happiest-sounding album, but it's also the weakest of their career. [Much like the 2019 deluxe reissue of
, the 2020 edition of
expands on this era of
's career with a wealth of bonuses. Along with highlights from the band's world tour supporting the album, the collection includes their soundtrack
Hello Blackbird
. It's the B-sides, outtakes, and demos, however, that build on
's wide-eyed romanticism with frequently stunning results. Many of the B-sides are covers that once again demonstrate their wide-ranging musical knowledge and taste.Their version of
Bobby Charles
' "Tennessee Blues" is another fine example of the rootsiness they made their own starting with
, a mood that continues on their take on
Kris Kristofferson
Rita Coolidge
's "I Never Had It So Good." Elsewhere,
's cosmic side sparkles on a gorgeous interpretation of
Daniel Johnston
's "Blue Clouds" and a lush, tender reading of
Nico
's "Afraid." The band's own material is both more restrained and less studied than
itself, spanning poetic reveries like "Mirror for a Bell" and "Season of Poussin" and the majestic psych-pop of "Late Night Request" and "Look at Brutis with His Knife." The stripped-down sketches of "In a Funny Way" and "Down Poured the Heavens" let their melodies and songwriting shine, reaffirming that even
fans who don't love
will find a lot to cherish in this thoughtfully curated reissue.] ~ Heather Phares